Jazmine is a big fine woman who specializes in reproductive justice and agricultural economic development in the rural south. She came of age in a largely Black working class community in Mississippi's state capital. She has earned a Master of Arts degree in Sociology and has interned for SisterSong: Women of Color Reproductive Justice Collective, where she worked on projects related to not only reproductive health, but also issues that impacted communities of color. Her dedication to public scholarship and activism is driven by a passion to amplify feminist and reproductive justice discourse around black women and girls, especially those in Mississippi.
You can also find her blogging at Still Furious & Brave and in collaboration with Echoing Ida, a Forward Together project.

As we acknowledge the passage of Hyde 38 years ago this month, it is important to look at how the amendment helped to usher in a wave of anti-choice legislation that has the most detrimental impacts on poor communities of color—especially in states like Mississippi.

Increasing access to health insurance should not come at the expense of exploiting young and poor Americans. We need additional federal health insurance options that are supported by public officials who care about the health and prosperity of their constituents.

Modern Mississippi freedom fighters must remain committed to Hamer’s legacy of bridging voting and reproductive rights into a comprehensive reproductive justice effort to protect Black women and other populations that are vulnerable to violations of both.

Though the FDA decision to permit generic EC pill manufacturers to sell their products over the counter represents a gain for those with the most access to resources, ultimately the decision reflects pharmaceutical manufacturing companies’ interests, rather than the lives of those most adversely affected by lack of access to EC.

It was reported recently that French drug manufacturer HRA Pharma had found that the emergency contraceptive Norlevo, which has a similar chemical makeup to Plan B One-Step, is ineffective for women over 176 pounds. Here’s why I was not surprised.

In an era when people across the country are asking, “Where are the Black women leaders?” activists like Fannie Lou Hamer serve as a reminder of how many rural Black women have always been strong leaders.

Though choice is a significant part of gaining gender equality, I remain struck by how our First Lady, a black woman with black daughters, has yet to talk about reproductive health as broader than “choice.”